Republican Party
The Republican Party, other wise known as the Grand Old Party, or GOP, is one of the two major parties in the United States. Contesting the Democratic Party, the GOP usually have the more logical argument in debates that the two parties frequently engage in. History Origins The Republican Party was founded in 1854 by anti-slavery activists. Most Americans who joined the party were once members of the Whig Party or the Know-Nothing Party. The GOP first engaged in a struggle with the Democrats over slave rights in the state of Kansas. Democrats, being the racist slaveocrats they were, fought tirelessly to allow slavery in all corners of the Union, whereas Republicans realized what a great tragedy slavery was.[http://content.wisconsinhistory.org/cdm4/document.php?CISOROOT=/tp&CISOPTR=46379&CISOSHOW=46363 The Origin of the Republican Party, A.F. Gilman, Ripon College, 1914.] The anti-slavery movement of the Republican Party was strengthened when they nominated Abraham Lincoln to be the first Republican Nominee for the Presidency of the United States. Lincoln won the election and went on to abolish slavery in his presidency, sacrificing his life for the rights of all people. Progressive Era In 1896, President William McKinley was elected to confirm the resurgence of Republicans as the dominant force in American politics. McKinley promised that high tariffs would end the severe hardship caused by the Panic of 1893, and that the GOP would guarantee a sort of pluralism in which all groups would benefit. He denounced William Jennings Bryan, the Democratic nominee, as a dangerous radical whose plans for "Free Silver" at 16-1 (or Bimetallism) would bankrupt the economy.R. Hal Williams, Realigning America: McKinley, Bryan, and the Remarkable Election of 1896 (2010) The party continued to dominate the Presidency up to the 1920s, seeing only one Democratic President, Woodrow Wilson. They ran on a platform against high tarrifs and special interests. The policies of the Progressive Era Republicans led to a prosperous nation, particularly in large cities such as Detroit Michigan under Mayor Hazen S. Pingree.Shafer and Badger (2001) Modern Era Ronald Reagan produced a major realignment with his 1980 and 1984 Presidential landslide wins. In 1980, the Reagan coalition was possible because of Democratic losses in most social-economic groups. In 1984, Reagan won nearly 60% of the popular vote and carried every state except his Democratic opponent Walter Mondale's home state of Minnesota and the District of Columbia, creating a record 525 electoral vote total (of 538 possible). Even in Minnesota, Mondale won by a mere 3,761 votes, meaning Reagan came within less than 3,800 votes of winning in all fifty states. One of Reagan's largest accomplishments was his victory over the Soviet Union in the Cold War. His successor, President George H.W. Bush attempted to calm tensions between our two nations to prevent a Russian backlash. After Bush came a Democratic President, Bill Clinton, who lied under the oath about having an extramarital affair. with Monica Lewinsky. After that dope's party was defeated in 2000, President George W. Bush led the world a period of grief after Muslim extremists hijacked United States airplanes and intentionally crashed them into the World Trade Center Towers in New York City, the US Pentagon in Washington, D.C., and into a field in the state of Pennsylvania. Bush took immediate heroic action and declared war on Iraq and later, Afghanistan, two major terrorist nations. He was unfairly ridiculed for this action. The Democrats later came to power in Congress and drove the nation into an economic recession, the worst since the great depression. Unfortunately, President Bush received the blame and in 2008, the American people made the biggest mistake in generations by electing Barack Obama to be the 44th President of the United States. Current Leadership The Republican Party boasts the strongest activist leaders, bravest members of Congress, and boldest Governors throughout the United States. Party Leadership On January 14, 2011, Reince Priebus assumed office as the 65th chairman of the Republican National Committee which is responsible for promoting the Republican Platform, fundraising, and formulating election strategies. Other organizations that have a similar role on a smaller scale are the National Republican Senatorial Committee, chaired by Senator John Cornyn (TX), the National Republican Congressional Committee, chaired by Representative Pete Sessions (TX), and the Republican Governors Association, chaired by Governor Bob McDonnell (VA). House Leadership Following the 2010 landslide victory for Republicans in the House of Representatives, Representative John Boehner of Ohio replaced Nancy Pelosi of California as Speaker of the House. The new Speaker has struggled to balance comprises between the Democrats and his own party. In the summer of 2011, John Boehner, along with House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (VA), correctly warned the President, that raising the debt ceiling without cutting enough spending would result in a credit downgrade. The President and Democrats ignored these warnings and proceeded to do just that- downgrade the nation's credit rating from AAA to AA+. This fall will make it harder for the US to borrow money, and effectively hurt each individual American. Senate Leadership Republicans are the minority and the United States Senate and are currently led by Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnel. McConnel's daily responsibility is to fight Democratic Senate Leader Harry Reid in his attempts to overspend, raise taxes, force unconstitutional mandates on American Citizens. Caucus Leaders New to the 112th Congress is the Tea Party Caucus. Chaired by Congresswoman Michele Bachmann (MN), this Caucus is made entirely of Republicans but often breaks from Republican Party lines in votes. Common examples of this are their refusal to over-compromise with the Democrats, an act that Tea Party leader have accused Speaker Boehner and Leader Cantor of doing much to frequently. Because of this, there is speculation that the Tea Party may one day form their own party. It should also be noted that Congressman Allen West (FL) is the only Republican member of the Congressional Black Caucus. Other Leaders According to Govtrack.com's political spectrum, the Republican House members who display the most leadership are: #Ilena Ros-Lehtinen (FL) #Peter King (NY) #Chris Smith (NJ) #Ted Poe (TX) #Elton Gallegly …and the Senate Leaders include #Mitch McConnel (KY) #Kay Bailey Hutchison (TX) #Oylmpia Snow (ME) #Mike Enzi (WY) #Susan Collins (ME) Positions and Stances The following are the positions of the Republican Party's platform. Note that not all Republicans concur with each position. Fiscal Jobs *Republicans understand that high taxes on those who create jobs will destroy jobs. *Republicans want to lower taxes on small businesses *Republicans know that Obamacare's unconstitutional mandates will and have destroyed jobs. *Republicans will stop the EPA from passing job-killing regulations. *Republicans will lower taxes and deregulate to create jobs. Debt *Republicans believe in passing a balanced budget, meaning that they spend no more than what they take in. *Republicans believe in cutting spending, capping the aloud amount of spending, and trading to keep the nation's fiscal house in order. *Republicans recognized that the failed Department of Education is nothing but a contributor to the debt. *Republicans refuse to raise the debt ceiling if spending cuts are not deep enough. *Republicans believe in alternative ways to decreasing the debt other than raising taxes, like ending tax loopholes, ethanol subsidies, and raising the age for retirement benefits to match the average longevity of Americans. Medicare *Republicans are friends of medicare. *Republicans want to reform medicare and medicaid. *Republicans have proposed ways to preserve medicare without destroying it. *Republicans reject Obamacare and its unconstitutional mandates. *Republicans recognize IPAB as ineffective. Social *Republicans are defenders of the lives of the unborn. *Republicans recognize abortion as murder, which it is. *Republicans believe in the sacred status of marriage between one man and one woman and will fight to preserve that status. *Republicans have read the dictionary, which states that marriage is between one man and one woman. *Republicans have read the Second Amendment to the Constitution, which gives Americans the right to own a firearm. *Republicans recognize the "under God" part of the Pledge of Allegiance. *Republicans believe that "If we ever forget that we are one nation under God, we will be one nation gone under," per Ronald Reagan. *Republicans understand that Americans should be able to choose their healthcare plans. National Security *Republicans believe in a "peace through strength" foreign policy. *Republicans will stop at nothing to defend the people of the United States. *Republicans will secure the border with Mexico to slow illegal immigration and the smuggling of drugs, guns, and nuclear weapons into the US. *Republicans recognize Israel as the greatest Middle-Eastern ally of the US. *Republicans will always defend the US and her allies. See also *2012 Republican Primary References Category:Republicans Republican Party